


Meet Me at the Mistletoe

by Miss_Princess_Blake



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Music, Christmas Party, F/M, Mistletoe, Secret Santa, Stolen Moments, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, beardcave is real, bi bellamy rights, clarke loves christmas, memori are besties, snarky john murphy, too many decorations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27854590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Princess_Blake/pseuds/Miss_Princess_Blake
Summary: It's Murphy and Clarke's first year in their new home and they are excited to be able to host an epic Christmas party. With friends all around, good food and drinks, and some awesome Christmas music they really do have a night to remember planned. But, really, Murphy just wants to get Clarke all to himself. Will a less than stealthy plan and a bit of mistletoe be enough to get him what he wants? It's a night of games, too many decorations, and a surprise or two along the way.orThe Christmas Clurphy fic that no one asked for
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/John Murphy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20
Collections: bellarkescord advent calendar





	Meet Me at the Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing Clurphy and I honestly just had so much fun. These two have an awesome banter and chemistry that I just had to turn into a bunch of tooth-rotting fluff. Written for the first Bellarkescord Advent Celender. I hope everyone enjoys it!

  


The smell of cinnamon wafting from the oven was John Murphy’s first clue that his snickerdoodles were ready to be taken out of the oven and arranged their way onto the Santa platter that had been set out for his use. When he looked down on it he couldn’t help but snort at his girlfriend’s antics.

Clarke Griffin was nothing if not festive.

Not that he could blame her of course. This was their first Christmas together in their very own home. There was a lot to be excited about. Still, though, she may have gone a tad overboard with the decorations if the fourteen-foot tree that just barely missed the top of their ceiling was any indication.

As the cookies cooled and he turned back to the stove to finish the cranberry sauce for his pork meatballs he smiled again. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe that this was his life.

When Murphy was growing up Christmas was rarely magical. In a house without very much money, constantly moving around, and both his parents dying when he was young it was hard to get into the holiday spirit. That all changed when he met Clarke.

It had been six years ago almost to the day and, like most things in his life at that point, it started with him messing something up.

_“Watch where you’re going,” someone exclaimed as he slammed into them. He hadn’t been looking where he was going as he rounded the corner between the art department and culinary department of Arkadia Community College. The stranger's paintbrushes mixed with his guitar picks and went flying into the snowbank along the walkway, his bag ripping open at the seam sending his school books and knife kit clattering into a puddle of melted snow. He groaned at the thought of the soaked materials._

_As he watched his things scatter on the snowy ground, Murphy stumbled back, ready for a fight about his ruined things and paying more attention, but the words died in his throat when he was met with piercing blue eyes and a halo of blonde hair peeking out from under the girl’s pom-pom topped pink beanie. Any lingering anger slipped away and he couldn’t fight the smirk that crept on his face at the fire in her eyes._

_“Hey,” he said as he helped her pick up her things, “it’s not my fault you don’t watch where you’re going. I was going at a normal speed. You were sprinting.”_

_They stood, finishing sorting their things, and the girl glared at him a moment longer before visibly deflating with a world-weary sigh. “You’re right,” she said, “I’m sorry. It’s just I have my final exhibition project in a week and I still have two pieces to finish, my mother is hounding me about how art isn’t a real career and I should have gone to med school like she did, and then don’t get me started on…”_

_The girl flushed when she realized she was rambling but Murphy just smirked and handed over the last of her paint and brushes._

_“I’m sorry,” she said, taking the objects from his hands with a sheepish smile, “you don’t care about any of this. Just me, spilling my life troubles to a helpless stranger. I’m just going to go."_

_She shook her head and started to walk away. He was smitten already._

_“How about this,” he said, holding his ruined bag and somewhat water-stained books under one arm, following her quickly, “why don’t you buy me a coffee when you get out of class and we’ll call it even?”_

_The girl paused and looked at him a moment before she huffed a small laugh, a pink flush spreading over her cheeks. “Sounds like a plan,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Clarke, by the way. Clarke Griffin.”_

_Her name cemented itself in his head as he shook her hand, holding on to the smooth skin a moment longer than he likely should have before pulling back. “I’m John Murphy.”_

_The girl, Clarke, bit her lip and looked up at him through long lashes with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, John.”_

Murphy was shaken from his nostalgia when the gentle sound of Dave Barnes Christmas album began to float in from the living room. He knew that the sound meant Clarke had finished getting ready and was at least downstairs with barely a half-hour to spare before the start time on their invitations. It was her favorite album and he wasn’t surprised that she chose that one to start the night. He was sure he could sneak some Nat King Cole in there later after she had finished a drink or two.

As he plotted his music takeover he heard the sound of soft footsteps creeping up behind him and he grinned but didn’t turn to spoil her intended surprise.

Her strong arms wound their way around his waist from behind and he entwined his fingers with hers. She kissed him on the shoulder and peeked over him to see what he was working on.

“That smells heavenly,” Clarke told him, as he tossed the last of the meatballs in the cranberry sauce before loading them into a large dish for the table.

As soon as he got the last scoop into the bowl, Murphy turned around in her arms and pulled her in for a long, languid kiss. “Not as good as you do,” he said into the skin of her neck, breathing in the heady scent there.

“It doesn’t count as very much of a compliment when you are the one who bought this perfume for me, John” she teased, sighing as he kissed her bare skin.

”Not my fault I have such good taste,” he said, pulling back to look at her as his breath caught in his chest. “God, you’re gorgeous.”

And she really was. In a red satin dress that just skimmed her knees with black lace around the waist and more cleavage than was probably fair but he certainly wasn’t complaining about it; he was floored by her beauty. He twirled her around, making her giggle, before pulling her in for another searing kiss. Her eyes were done with a light shimmer and her cheeks red but she has been smart enough to not put her lipstick on yet, knowing Murphy would kiss it off before their friends even arrived.

As he tangled his hands into her hair, deepening the kiss, she pulled him flush against her body. Though they had been together for two years, Murphy was fairly certain he would never tire of the feeling of her body against his and their lips pressed together, every one of her movements complementing each of his until he was so riled he could barely handle it.

When they finally pulled back to catch his breath he rested their foreheads together and just breathed her in. He could feel her smile against his lips and it filled every inch of him with warmth.

“Is it too late to cancel the party?” he asked, only halfway kidding, as he slid a hand up her thigh. “I can turn all the lights off, they’ll never even know we’re here.

Clarke laughed and he smiled even more. “They'll know, John.”

Murphy groaned, knowing she was right but fully unwilling to admit it.

When she rolled her eyes and smacked his arm he grinned and kissed her again, with a bit less enthusiasm this time. Still, he wouldn’t have minded dragging Clarke to their room and showing her exactly how much he loved her in that dress.

Before they could get too far, the doorbell rang and he groaned again. 

Clarke grinned at him as if reading his mind. “Saved by the bell,” she said as she planted a wet kiss on his cheek before she skipped away to answer the door.

Murphy shook his head fondly before hanging his apron up by the kitchen door and dusting the last of the flour from his hands so that he could go change into his suit. Clarke insisted on this being a real, fancy, adult party and he certainly wasn’t going to let her down.

Grabbing the rest of the food from the kitchen, he headed to the banquet tables they had set up in the dining room to arrange the food on their festive surface. Already set out were bacon-wrapped, blue cheese stuffed peppers on a frosty the snowman plate, grilled shrimp draped over a glass dish that looked vaguely like an ornament, and his famous crack dip circled with veggies and chips all laid out on a serving platter that looked like Rudolph the goddamn red-nosed reindeer. Red and green cups were stacked beside the Jingle Juice (which Jasper made but would give no one the recipe for, which was terrifying) and Clarke had even insisted on a chocolate fountain and Christmas tree champagne flutes with a splash of pomegranate juice in them for color. The whole thing looked like it was straight out of a Martha Stewart magazine. He knew Clake was thrilled.

Checking the table once more, he laughed when he noticed the little reindeer figurines in compromising positions set up along the table the way he had jokingly laid them out the night before. He couldn’t believe Clarke didn’t fix them, and he had no doubt she knew they were positioned as they were. It was enough to make the love swell in his heart that much more because she was willing to indulge his questionable humor in this small way.

While Clarke greeted the first of their guests, Murphy took a few minutes for a quick shower and to change. He allowed himself a moment to admire how he looked in the suit Clarke had gotten him. It wasn’t really his thing but even he had to admit that he did pull it off. Still, he knew that Clarke had told people to pack their comfiest pajamas and onesies for later in the evening just in case they all decided to stop pretending they were posh and get comfortable.

Before leaving, he gave his tie a final check and patted his pocket with a smile. With a final steadying breath, he closed the bedroom door and headed out to the party.

As he made his way down the stairs he was again amazed by the amount of work Clarke had put into the decorations. It honestly felt like he was living in a Hallmark card. Looking around the space, even he couldn’t help but appreciate the festivity in the air. The banisters were wrapped in real pine garland dotted with red bows, their wood fireplace was roaring and decked with handmade stockings from their first Christmas together, and their massive tree was trimmed from bottom to top with multi-colored baubles and twinkling fairy lights.

It was enough to make even this grinch love Christmas.

“Murphy!” Harper called out as he entered the room, hugging him sideways and a little awkwardly as she balanced a bunch of presents on her very pregnant stomach. “Merry Christmas!”

He laughed. “Merry Christmas,” he told her after grabbing the stack of gifts from her. “Don’t you have a husband to help you with things like this?”

“You try convincing her to let me help with anything,” Monty quipped back, following his wife into the room.

“I was perfectly capable of handling it myself,” she said. “But now that we are here, Murphy was just being a gentleman. Isn’t that right?”

“And what am I,” Monty asked with a laugh, “chopped liver?”

“Don’t mind him,” Harper said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my mouth has a date with that crack dip of yours. I really don’t know why you don’t make it more often.”

“I would never ruin its appeal by making it commonplace,” he called after her, laughing as Monty followed his wife to the table of food. “Gotta have something to make everyone keep coming back for more.”

Despite their playful banter, Murphy knew there probably wasn’t a single other couple coming to this party as happy or as well suited as those two.

After that, it didn’t take long for the party to really get underway. Every few minutes the doorbell would ring and more voices would flood the front hall followed by happy greetings, brightly colored gifts filling the space below the tree, and tons of wishes of Merry Christmas.

Roan and Wells came next with Bellamy and Steve quick on their tail. They each were running games at the party so they were a little earlier than the other guests. Raven and Emori came armed with their massive box of party games, Jasper and Maya brought her secret recipe sweet potato pie (that Murphy was determined to get out of her one day), and even Octavia managed to make it with her new boyfriend Levitt.

The room was packed with friends and family, all warm and beginning to get a buzz from Jasper’s cocktails. As their house began to fill with those that meant the most to them, Murphy looked out over the group and was overwhelmed with how grateful he was to have all of this in his life.

“You have that sappy look on your face again,” Emori said, sliding up beside him with an evil grin. “Is it too much Jingle Juice or just too much Christmas cheer?”

“Sappy,” he said, bumping shoulders with his childhood girlfriend and best friend, “me? Nah. What gave you that impression?”

Emori laughed. “You are a giant sap and you know it, no matter how hard you try to hide it.”

“Psh,” he scoffed, “I don’t even want you all here.”

Emori smiled again and shook her head at him. “Well you’re stuck with us,” she teased, bumping his shoulder right back. “Besides, Clarke wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The mention of her name made Murphy seek her out immediately. Her eyes met his and it was like the whole world slowed down. She smiled and bit her lip, a small laugh that made her eyes twinkle as she sent a wink his way before turning back to her conversation with Steve and Bellamy.

Emori cleared her throat and he startled, having nearly forgotten he wasn’t alone. “See what I mean?” she told him, laughing. “You, John Murphy, are a sap.”

“Yeah well,” he conceded, “at least I have good reason to be.”

Emori’s smile softened and she looked out at her own girlfriend. “We did end up pretty lucky, didn’t we?” she asked with a sigh. “Who would have thought we would end up here?”

“Just a couple of foster kids trying to fight the world,” Murphy replied with a shake of his head. “Now we have these amazing women that love us, a room full of people that are more of a family than either of us has ever known, and we don’t have to fight anyone anymore. Yeah, I would say we ended up pretty lucky.”

With that, she squeezed his arm and went over to Raven, dropping a kiss on the woman’s cheek, making the other woman beam at Emori and drop a kiss on her waiting lips.

He and Emori had grown up together in the foster system. Neither could hold a family very long with their anger issues and eventually they aged out a few months apart. They had taken on the world together, convinced that she was the Bonnie to his Clyde. Though it hadn’t lasted they had managed to keep a friendship that had endured two decades and that meant more to him than anything else in his life could. Other than Clarke, of course. He had loved Emori then and he loved her now, the way had just changed.

These people were his found family, whether those he had known most of his life or those who were new. Murphy didn’t consider himself a particularly optimistic person but it was hard to deny that, despite life’s twists and turns, he had wound up in a pretty good spot.

As the night went on their apartment filled with the last of their friends and Murphy lost himself in the festivity. The one thing he didn’t lose, however, was his awareness of Clarke. Despite their time together, he had never gotten to see her in full party mode and it made him laugh a bit. She worked so hard to make sure everyone had drinks and food, that questions were answered, and that everyone was having a good time.

She was a whirlwind in human form and he was captivated. All he wanted was her, damn everyone else in the room. As much fun as Cards Against Christmas was and as much as he couldn’t wait for the Secret Santa exchange, there was still a part of him that would always crave a moment alone with Clarke. It wasn’t that he wanted the night to end, not really, but the knowledge of what the night would bring when it was just them…

Well, he thought it was best to not think of that in a group of their friends.

Regardless, Murphy was determined to find a way to get his girlfriend alone, even if just for a few minutes. It seemed ridiculous that he could miss someone just on the other side of the room, but the downside of being a good host was that her attention was spread thin and very little of it went to the man she got to see every day. So if he wanted to steal a kiss he was going to have to come up with a plan.

As it was, however, he finally found a way to steal a moment or two with Clarke to help get him through the rest of this party before he could get her alone. In the end, it was actually Raven who unwittingly gave him the idea.

“Ok,” Harper asked Raven as a few of them sat around the fire pit on their patio as they enjoyed the chilly night air, “how did you and Emori even get together?”

“I was wondering that too,” Steve said as he took a long drink from Bellamy’s glass, making the other man roll his eyes. “I mean all of us knew you two were gonna happen eventually but we had bets on how long it would actually take.”

“Hey!” Raven said, feigning indignance.

Emori laughed but put her hand on her girlfriend’s knee causing the other woman to huff and throw up her hands.

Emori elaborated after a peck on her girlfriend’s cheek. “You aren’t wrong,” she said. “The truth is, falling for Raven wasn’t easy. At least, she didn’t make it easy. But I knew pretty early on that she was worth it. So after weeks of planting proof that I wasn’t going anywhere and hints of how I felt I knew it was time to make a move.”

Raven smiled at her girlfriend, her previous annoyance melting away. “Yeah,” she teased, “if that’s what she wants to call it. The truth is, she bought some mistletoe from the grocery store, held it over my head, and said it was bad luck if I didn’t kiss her. Good thing I was already mad for her or that would have never worked,”

Everyone laughed when Emori tickled Raven in retaliation. “Whatever she says,” Emori insisted, “this one was charmed. Either way, I got the girl so I have no complaints.”

The girls kissed lightly but Murphy already wasn’t paying attention.

Mistletoe. That was perfect. Now he just had to figure out a way to do it.

As the group made their way back inside, his plan began to come together. Truthfully, it wasn’t a particularly complicated one. Clarke had gotten some mistletoe as a gag gift from Raven and he had a feeling he knew where she had stashed it. He also knew that she lived for being a good host. All he had to do was wait for the opportunity to present itself and she was his.

If only for as long as he could keep her distracted. Or their friends managed to stay away. He snickered knowing the latter was more likely to be the problem as distracting Clarke was one of his favorite pastimes and he was damn good at it. Bellamy shot him a weird look but Murphy just shook his head and tried to temper his grin in his glass.

For this to work, it needed to be a surprise.

Luckily, the perfect opportunity presented itself not long later.

Somewhere between the second round of Cards Against Christmas (Steve had won the first time and Raven accused him of cheating) and the start of some weird Christmas game (that seemed to be a hybrid of corn hole and beer pong, except you had to throw little bells in the cups which were glued to a board), the doorbell rang. Murphy, who was absolutely sitting this one out, offered to be the one to answer.

“I’ve got it,” he said when he noticed Clarke beginning to stand.

She smiled at him and he kissed the top of her head. “Thanks, babe,” she told him before turning all of her attention back to the game. The look on her face told him she was set on winning.

When he opened the door, Gaia and Jade were there holding gifts as well as a yule log cake. “Sorry we’re late,” Gaia said, kissing Murphy on the cheek. “Jade took forever finishing decorating this thing. I told her it didn’t matter since we were eating it but you know how she is. I hope we didn’t miss the big moment.”

“Hey,” the other woman quipped, “I’m just trying to make a good impression since I’m still the new blood of the group.”

Murphy shook his head. “Not making a great impression being late,” he said, forcing a solemn look on his face.

Jade looked honestly concerned and Gaia smacked his arm, making his facade crack.

“Murphy,” she scolded.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh relax,” he said, leading the women into the party. “I like you, Jade. You’ve got spunk and you're still afraid of me. Always a bonus in my book.”

Jade smirked. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

Murphy set the log on the table with the other food and noticed they were running low on meatballs and jingle juice. The champagne flutes were all gone by that point. He would have to see what they had left. The realization gave him an idea.

“Hey,” he told Gaia and Jade as they got settled, “the rest of the group is in the living room. And don’t worry, you haven’t missed anything. The gift exchange won’t start for another hour. Make yourself at home, I just need to fill up some of the refreshments. Would you mind telling Clarke where I’ve gone?”

Gaia smiled and nodded before leading her girlfriend into the party.

The truth was, though he really did need to refresh the table, he knew Clarke wouldn’t be able to help herself with coming to check on him.

As soon as the girls were out of sight, he quickly made his way into the garage and found the little package with the mistletoe in it. He quietly snuck back to the kitchen, careful to not be seen and ruin the surprise, and started setting things out. His bet? She wouldn’t make it five minutes before she was in here with him.

Not three minutes later, she beat even his estimation.

“John?” she said as she entered the kitchen. “Do you need any help? I know Gaia said you were in here and I just thought-”

Murphy cut her off when he turned around and held the mistletoe above her head.

Clarke’s mouth fell open and then she smiled at him. “You tricked me,” she said with a laugh.

“I mean,” he began, schooling a look of innocence on his face, “not technically. I really am refreshing the food and drinks, we got low. And I never asked you to come in here, you did that all on your own.”

As she slid her hands around his waist she still didn’t quite let herself give in, but he could see in her eyes that she wanted to. “They’ll notice we’re missing.”

“Probably,” he conceded, setting the mistletoe down in favor of cradling her face in his hands. “But not immediately. They are very distracted with too much alcohol and that dumb game.”

“I liked the game!” she teased indignantly.

“But you like this more,” he said, finally closing the distance between them.

Clarke hummed contentedly, finally letting herself let go, just a little bit. Murphy wound his hands into the hair at the base of her neck, careful to avoid all the pins holding it up, and let his other pull her in by the small of her back. As her arms found their way behind his neck she opened her mouth for him and traced her tongue against his. He let out a small moan and she tugged lightly on his hair.

Murphy was pressed tightly into the counter and he could hear their friends' laughter drifting in from the living room and he was certain he had never been happier than this. As she raised one leg to wrap against him he let his hand trail up and down her thigh, pulling her against him impossibly tighter and losing himself in the feel of her milky skin.

It couldn’t have been five minutes later that they were finally caught.

“God guys get a room,” came Raven’s voice from the doorway.

Clarke buried her face in Murphy’s neck, shoulders shaking with laughter.

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” Murphy drawled, “we are actually in a room. In our own house, even.”

Raven made fake gagging sounds. “At least if you are gonna bone at your own party don’t do it in the room with all the food,” she chided. “The table is pretty empty, by the way.”

With that, she was gone. Clarke pulled back to look at Murphy and they both burst out laughing.

“We should probably-” she said, motioning to the abandoned food he had been preparing.

“Yeah,” he said, “we probably should.”

He pulled her in for one more short kiss, doing his best to behave, before sighing and finally letting her go.

Clarke took a moment to straighten out her dress and her hair, eyes bright as she smiled at him. “Don’t worry,” she told him just as she was about to leave the room, “the party won’t last forever. And then it’s just you and me.”

Murphy groaned, but dutifully loaded a tray with the last of Clarke’s champagne flutes and made his way back to the party.

Those stolen moments together would have to be enough to get him through the night because he knew he wouldn't get the chance again. But man was it worth it.

After getting the last of the food arranged on the table, Raven cornered him by the Christmas tree.

“So,” she drawled, “you two looked pretty cozy in there. You didn’t spoil the surprise, did you?”

Murphy rolled his eyes. “Of course I didn’t. I am much better at keeping a secret than you are.”

Raven laughed heartily. “You aren’t wrong.”

“I won’t lie though,” he admitted, “I’ve been tempted not to wait a few times, especially the last couple weeks. Seeing Clarke so happy getting this place all decked out for Christmas and having so much fun… anyways, the secret is still safe.”

“Good,” Raven said. “I wouldn’t have wanted all my hard work to go to waste.”

“What hard word?” Clarke said from behind them, startling them both.

Raven was quick to recover. “Oh nothing,” she said, brushing Clarke off with a smile. “Just the gift exchange.”

“She was just goading me to make sure I hadn’t spilled my Secret Santa gift to you,” he said, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulder as she tucked herself into his side.

Clarke grinned at him before turning back to Raven. “He really hasn’t, not that I haven't tried to get it out of him. But he’s been tight-lipped the whole time. It better be something awesome.”

“Have you met me?” Murphy joked. “Of course it will be awesome.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “You two are gross. I’m getting another drink.”

“She isn’t wrong,” Clarke said and kissed Murphy’s cheek. “But you are awesome.”

He pecked her quickly on the lips before smirking at her. “Obviously.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed before heading back to the crowd. He couldn’t help watching her walk away. Raven caught him and winked across the room. He flipped her off.

The party was more fun than any of them had been able to have for a while. Between school, work, and all of life’s distractions the full group rarely had a chance these days to all get together. The drinks were flowing freely, the food was nearly gone, but he knew there was still a lot to do.

When Clarke headed out to the patio for some fresh air, Murphy took advantage of her absence and made his way to the CD player with a sly grin.

“You look like a man who is up to no good,” Octavia told him from her perch beside the entertainment system. She sent him an evil grin when he smirked.

“It’s not anything bad,” Murphy told her, “just sneaky.”

“So what are you doing?” Levitt questioned with a smile.

“The thing is,” Murphy said as he concentrated on changing the audio from the CD player to his phone’s BlueTooth and booted up his Spotify, “Clarke is very much obsessed with exactly three Christmas albums; Dave Barnes, Martina McBride, and Pentatonix. And as much as I love her, that is all we have been listening to for days. I’m just switching things up a bit.”

“Why do I have a feeling she is going to be none too thrilled when she catches wind of what you’ve done?” Octavia teased, scolding him as if he were a schoolboy caught doing something naughty.

Murphy laughed, victorious, as the sound of Nat King Cole’s voice came streaming through the speakers. “Much better,” he said and turned to his friends. “Look, it’s not like I’m putting on death metal or something. I just felt like we could all use a little variety.”

Levitt and Octavia were laughing and he realized what that meant. He turned around with a sheepish smile.

He was unsurprised to see his girlfriend with hands on her hips fighting a smile behind him.

“Hi honey,” he said.

“John Murphy,” she chided, just barely containing her laughter, “did you steal my music?”

He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Maybe a little bit.”

She laughed when he kissed her nose and pretended to push him away, causing him to just pull her that much closer. She shook her head at his antics. “You could have just asked me,” she told him. “I can share.”

Murphy snorted. “Sure you can.”

Her mouth dropped open and she smacked his chest. “Mean!”

He laughed and kissed her cheek. “I’m kidding,” he told her, “but it’s just so much more fun to be sneaky. You mad?”

Clake tapped her chin thoughtfully before heaving a dramatic sigh. “I guess I can forgive you,” she told him with a mischievous smirk, “if you go get more wood for the fire.”

While he did not relish going out in the snow, he figured it was worth it if he got to keep his music for a while. “Deal.”

Clarke beamed and kissed him before heading back over to where the next game had apparently started. This was Wells and Roan’s contribution and involved having to unwrap a gift while wearing oven mitts and a Santa hat, passing it from person to person in a way that reminded him a bit of hot potato.

Maybe he would just take his time getting the wood then. He quickly made his way outside.

When the games finally began to wind down and people began to relax around the fireplace, Raven got up in front of the crowd.

“Alright,” she said, grabbing a gift from under the tree. “So here is how this is going to work. At the beginning of the night you each drew a number from my magic Santa hat. That will correspond to the order you will go in. I will go first but then it goes by number. When your number is called you will come and sit in this chair and then your secret Santa will give you your gift. Any questions?”

Everyone mumbled no’s or shook their head and the exchange started. Raven gifted Harper who gifted Levitt and it went on from there. As each new person came up the group would ooh and ahh appreciatively. Some of the gifts were funny, some heartfelt, but it was clear everyone loved what they had received. Slowly the pile under the tree shrank as people got their chance in the spotlight.

Finally, all that was left was for Clarke to get hers as she got the last number. As she sat in the chair, Murphy could see the moment she realized who her gift would be from. She shook her head at him.

“How did you manage this?” she asked. “We weren’t supposed to be able to get our significant other’s.”

Raven grinned when Clarke looked at her. “I think that might be my fault.”

“You are both a couple of cheater’s,” she said with a laugh, wagging a finger at Murphy as he made his way up to her before turning back to Raven. “You are so not running this again.”

Raven laughed at her friend and just shrugged, not sorry at all. Clarke turned back to him, clearly torn between annoyance that they had broken the rules and curiosity as to why.

Murphy positioned himself in front of his girlfriend with a hand on her waist. “In her defense,” he told her, shrugging his shoulder, “I kind of had a pretty good argument to get her to say yes.”

With that, Murphy dropped to one knee, pulling the box from his coat pocket, and revealing the ring inside. Clarke’s hand flew up to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears as he took her left hand in his own.

“Clarke,” he started, “I won’t pretend I’m very good at big speeches. That’s Bellamy’s territory after all and I’m more than happy to leave it to him.”

Their friend’s laughed and Clarke shook her head with a watery smile.

“The truth is,” Murphy continued, tone dropping it’s normal sarcastic air, “I’m not sure I could even begin to tell you what you mean to me. Being with you has changed me in all the best ways. It wasn’t that I had never loved before but you taught me to believe I was worthy of being loved back. I’ve been lucky to build a life with you, a family, for the first time. What we have is special and makes me happier than I knew I could be.”

Murphy beamed at her as tears fell from her eyes, smile wider than he had ever seen it.

“Clarke Griffin,” he said, lining the ring up with her finger, “I don’t know what the future is going to bring. All I know is that the best chance I have of making it a good one is if I have you by my side. I love you so much. Clarke, will you marry me?”

She was slipping her finger into the ring and nodding before he could even get the chance to do it himself, making him laugh. He stood with a smile.

“Yes,” she said in his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck, “yes I will marry you, John Murphy.”

Pulling back just enough to kiss him, their lips met and it was anything but graceful as they both couldn’t stop smiling. He picked her up and spun her around, making her squeal with laughter, as all of their friends cheered.

He stole one last kiss from her before she was whisked away by their friends, all the girls wanting to see her ring and ask questions that she didn’t have answers to yet. She was beaming and Murphy thought she had never looked more beautiful.

“Congrats man,” Bellamy said, coming to stand beside him as Clarke was fawned over. “That was a pretty good speech, by the way. And like you said, I would know.”

Murphy laughed heartily and punched his friend in the arm. “Thank you,” he said through a grin. “I just can’t believe I’m engaged.”

“Better start believing it,” Steve said from Bellamy’s side. “Weddings are the most beautiful and fun headache you will have in your life.”

“Good thing you guys did it first so I can just steal all the tips from you,” Murphy said, only partially joking.

Bellamy laughed and rolled his eyes. “As if Clarke won’t already have a million and one plans for this wedding.”

Murphy shrugged. “She can have whatever she wants, honestly. It is all about her, after all.”

Steve grinned and slapped Murphy on the back. “You are a smart man,” he said. “Keep that attitude and the headaches will be kept to a minimum.”

Murphy laughed as they congratulated him again before they took their leave.

As the two made their way to give their best wishes to the bride to be, Murphy just took a moment to watch her. Her beaming smile and the way she wouldn’t stop looking at her ring made Murphy happier than he would have thought it would. All he had wanted was to make her smile and he was at least a little proud that he had pulled it off.

Emori found him then and gave him a hug. “I am so happy for you guys.”

“Thanks,” he told her. “It still feels a bit surreal if I’m honest. Ever since I got the ring it’s almost like I was waiting for something terrible to happen. People like me don’t get happy endings. But it’s real. She said yes. I get to marry the love of my life.”

Murphy shook his head and breathed a sigh of happy disbelief.

“I’m glad you were wrong then,” Emori told him. “And for the record, you deserve a happily ever after. Just because the start of your story was crappy doesn’t mean the ending was gonna be. You’re a good man, John. And you are gonna be a wonderful husband.”

He smiled over at his oldest friend. Once upon a time, they thought they would be together forever. He supposed they would be, in a way. But he was so glad they had found this new life.

Murphy cleared his throat, ready to move past the heavy feeling in the air. He smirked at Emori. “You’re next you know,” he said, nodding over at Raven who was stealing occasional glances at the two of them.

Emori blushed and shoved him. “Whatever,” she said and then headed back to the group.

Though he had been teasing, he thought there was a solid chance she could be next if the way she and Raven were gazing at each other was any indication. He was happy for them, either way.

The night wound down after that. Most people were ready to get back to their own homes and Murphy was ready to have his fiance all to himself. He helped people get to their Ubers or cars, carrying presents and finding coats. Clarke said her goodbye’s as well. And then it was just them.

As he closed and locked the door, he grabbed a couple of glasses of champagne from the kitchen and made his way to the living room where Clarke was sitting by the fire with her shoes off and her legs curled under her. The firelight and Christmas tree lit her hair up like a halo and he smiled softly at the way she was examining her ring.

“I hope I got one you like,” he said, as he sat down beside her and handed her a glass. “I did get a bit of help from Bellamy and Raven since I figured they knew your style, but I did pick it in the end.”

“It’s perfect,” she whispered against his lips as she gave him a quick kiss. “White gold, princess cut, accent diamonds? What’s not to love?”

He kissed her slowly and deeply, letting his hand rest on her warm thigh and the other cupping her cheek gently. She smiled against his lips when they pulled back.

“We’re getting married,” she sighed, a grin splitting her face.

He chuckled, pulling her into his side. “Yeah, we are,” he said with a grin. “You happy?”

Clarke laughed and kissed him as a response, the bright sound filling him with joy as she settled into his chest and he played with her hair. A few moments later she turned around, setting their glasses on the coffee table.

She kissed him deeply, hands anchored in his hair as her legs straddled him. She pulled their bodies flush together and bit his lip lightly, causing him to moan into her mouth.

“Take me to bed, John,” she purred into his ear.

“Anything for you,” he said, nipping a small bite where her shoulder met her neck before standing with her in his arms.

She wrapped her legs around him as he carried her to their bedroom, champagne left forgotten on the table. As the fire burned down to embers, the newly engaged couple spent the rest of their evening upstairs showing each other just how happy they were.

There would be time for cleaning and washing up in the morning. When they woke the next day they would both regret not getting things soaking in the sink or taking out the trash. But tonight, if the sounds coming from upstairs were any indication, neither of them cared one bit.

Besides, it was Christmas after all.


End file.
